So BMW knicked my dashboard design for the new 8 series

"Then Something New" (thensomethingnew)
10/29/2018 at 19:30 • Filed to: bmw, 8 series, digital dash, HMI

In 2015 I was wrapping up my time at a small company, DiSTI, in Orlando, FL. One of the last things I did before moving to work for Jaguar Land Rover in Portland, was to create a cool new 3d embedded dashboard concept.

I drove my car around a road to get sample telemetry, mocked up a design, and built a demo display running on a small embedded chipset. My idea was a digital dash that could fit within a shaped bezel, featured gauges that moved up and down the side, used a 3d car for an information display, and could compress the gauges for a less distracting UI. That demo then went all over the world to just about every automotive embedded tradeshow.

2015 trade show

2018 BMW 8 Series

2015 trade show

2018 BMW 8 Series

At the time I made it I was pretty proud of the idea, but over time it didn’t age quite well and I tended to think, “man maybe my design skills weren’t up to par.” I was working with really skilled people at JLR and I was questioning my own abilities. Design can be a hard world.

Well fast forward to today and clearly someone from BMW saw it and liked the concept.

DISCUSSION (11)

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Then Something New
10/29/2018 at 19:57

Well that’s fucking awesome.

Then Something New > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
10/29/2018 at 20:04

right?! turns out the stuff I made and self criticized as garbage was hot enough to steal!

Milky > Then Something New
10/29/2018 at 20:41

I hope designers there didn’t blatantly steal it and just had a similar idea.

Hows JLR?

My roommate did this at Ford in 2015 too I think.

Kinja'd!!!

Im in a small studio at a supplier. Design is fun.

Then Something New > Milky
10/29/2018 at 21:07

I mean everyone in the company gets frequent trade show writeups so they definitely would have seen it frequently.

JLR was good, but now I'm managing the user experience for Virgin Hyperloop One. My conversations these days at work are bananas and the digital dash is peanuts compared to how I'm currently changing travel forever.

Milky > Then Something New
10/29/2018 at 21:43

Damn bruh, good luck.

someassemblyrequired > Then Something New
10/29/2018 at 21:54

Spec w ide overstuffed seat with tons of legroom and supply free booze to passengers . Job done.

Then Something New > someassemblyrequired
10/29/2018 at 22:10

One day you can look back on this thread to see your influence on the world.

someassemblyrequired > Then Something New
10/29/2018 at 22:23

Haha - well we already have a good idea of what the Spirit Airlines version will look like:

Then Something New > someassemblyrequired
10/29/2018 at 22:31

I use this and the hunger games all the time as examples of futures we don't wanna end up creating.

wafflesnfalafel > Then Something New
10/29/2018 at 23:14

imitation is the sincerest form of flattery

someassemblyrequired > Then Something New
10/30/2018 at 09:22

Sounds like you’re on the right track.... err magnet. Actually an interesting project, the fluids issues are super tricky at speeds approaching Mach 1. I suspect it will be barf city unless you get the visual cues and seating right.